Plywood cabinet

ABSTRACT

A cabinet includes panels made from plywood of a type having an ascetically pleasing core with adjacent panels joined at a 90° angle with respect to one another to form a common corner. A first one of the panels has a first edge which forms a portion of the common corner and second one of the panels has a second edge which also forms a portion of the common corner. The first edge has a protruding section and the second edge has a recessed section and the protruding section fits into the recessed section to form an unbroken corner.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

It is common for cabinets to be constructed in a factory in modular units and then later be installed. This is particularly true when the cabinets are part of a remodel in a home or a ship. The joint between adjacent panels in a wood cabinet must be aesthetically pleasing and yet have enough strength to prevent the joint from failing over time. For cabinets made of solid wood or plywood panels one way of accomplishing this is to miter the edges of mating panels at 45° angles. However, mitered corners are difficult to cut accurately. In addition, the adjacent panels are typically joined by means of an adhesive and they have to be held together while the adhesive cures causing subsequent steps in the construction process to be delayed while the adhesive cures. As a result, cabinets made with mitered corners take longer to make and are more expensive. While butt joints having exposed panel edges can be utilized with solid wood panels, they do not work with plywood panels. Typically plywood cores have an irregular appearance and may even contain voids, and exposed edges need to be covered with veener strips. Moreover, when the cabinet is mounted on a pedestal base and the base is offset inwardly from the sides of the bottom panel using a butt or mitered joint between the sides and bottom of the cabinet may not provide sufficient strength. The shelves located in the cabinet are attached to the sides, so that all of the load carried by the shelves is transferred to the pedestal base through the joints between the sides and bottom of the cabinet.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The subject invention provides a cabinet made from plywood panels of the type having a core which has an ascetically pleasing appearance, such as bamboo plywood and are constructed using screws to join adjacent panels. As a result construction is not delayed while adhesive dries and a strong joint is obtained. The cabinet has a first panel with a first edge which has a protruding section. A second panel has a second edge with a recessed section, and the protruding section of the first panel fits into the recessed section of the second panel when the panels are joined to one another at right angles. The protruding and recessed sections are configured such that the common corner between the two panels is unbroken. In addition, the protruding section of the edge of the first panel is flush with the face of the second panel, and the edge of the second panel other than the recessed section is flush with the face of the first panel. First screws pass through a margin of the first panel adjacent the protruding section of the first edge into the second edge of the second panel, and second screws pass through a margin of the second panel adjacent the portions of the second edge other than the recessed section into the first edge of the first panel.

The foregoing and other objectives, features, and advantages of the invention will be more readily understood upon consideration of the following detailed description of the invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a prospective view looking from above of an idealized cabinet embodying the subject invention.

FIG. 2 is a prospective view looking from below of the cabinet of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a first front elevation view of the cabinet of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a side elevation view of the cabinet of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a rear end elevation view of the cabinet of FIG. 1.

FIG. 6 is a top elevation view of the cabinet of FIG. 1.

FIG. 7 is a bottom elevation view of the cabinet of FIG. 1.

FIG. 8 is a detail view, at an enlarged scale, of the corner construction of the cabinet of FIG. 1.

FIG. 9 is a sectional view taking on the line 9-9 of FIG. 8.

FIG. 10 is a sectional view taken on the line 10-10 of FIG. 5.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring now to the drawings, a cabinet 10 has a plurality of panels 12 which are joined together at their edges to form a uniform structure. The panels are made from plywood and particularly from a type of plywood having a core 14 which in cross section has a distinctive ascetically pleasing appearance. A plywood which works well in this application is bamboo plywood. For the reasons set forth below, the corner joint of the subject invention typically will be used between the two sides and the top and bottom of the cabinet. However it can be used elsewhere to provide ascetic continuity. The cabinet shown in the drawings does not have a door in the front in order to better show the corner joint. However the cabinet typically would have a door and it typically would be made from the same plywood material.

The corner joint is used between pairs of panels which are joined to one another along a common corner at a 90° angle with respect to one another. The panels are typically rectangular but could have other shapes. A first panel 12 a has a first edge 16 which forms a portion of the common corner 17. The first edge has a section 18 which protrudes outwardly from the remainder of the first edge. The protruding section 18 preferably is located near the center of the first edge. While there could be more than one protruding section, having only a single protruding section gives a desirable ascetic effect. The first edge 16 is flat and the edge of the protruding section is parallel with the remainder of the first edge.

A second panel 12 b has a second edge 20 which also forms a portion of the common corner. The second edge has a section 22 which is recessed inwardly from the remainder of the first edge. The second edge 20 is flat and the recessed section is parallel with the remainder of the second edge. The recessed section 22 is sized and positioned along the second edge such that the protruding section 18 of the first edge 16 of the first panel 12 a fits into the recessed section 22 of the second edge 20 of the second panel 12 b such that an unbroken corner is formed. This joint creates a corner in which the protruding section 18 of the first edge 16 of the first panel 12 a is flush with the face 24 of the second panel and is exposed, and the portions 26 of the second edge 20 of the second panel 12 b other than the recessed section 22 are flush with the face 28 of the first panel 12 a and are exposed.

The adjacent panels are connected to one another by means of screws 34. A plurality of the screws 34 pass through first holes 36 in the margin 38 of the first panel 12 a adjacent the protruding section 18 of the first edge 16 and into the second edge of the second panel 12 b. A plurality of the screws 34 pass through second holes 40 in the margin 44 of the second panel 12 b adjacent the portions of the second edge other than the recessed section and into the first edge of the first panel 12 a. The holes the screws pass through are counter sunk so that the heads of the screws are below the faces of the panels. The top portions of the holes, above the heads of the screws, are then covered with a filler 36 which ascetically compliments the exposed cores 14 of the panels. The filler can be dowel plugs or a fluid filler material. In either event the filler is sanded to make it flush with the panel faces.

In the embodiment illustrated, there are two first panels 12 a which are located on the sides of the cabinet and two second panels 12 b one at the top 30 and one at the bottom 42 of the cabinet. This arrangement gives the cabinet more strength than a cabinet having butt mitered joints. While corner strength is important in any cabinet, it is particularly important if the cabinet is being mounted on a pedestal base which is offset from the sides of the cabinet. Because the shelves (not shown) in a cabinet are supported by the sides 12 a, the entire load carried by the shelves is transmitted through the sides. If the sides extend all the way to the floor this does not create a problem. However, if the cabinet is mounted on a pedestal base which is set inwardly from the sides the joints between the sides and the bottom of the cabinet must be strong enough to carry this load.

The base 48 preferable is made from the same type of plywood as the panels 12 and utilizes the same joint as is used to join the panels 12 to achieve the same ascetic effect. The base allows access beside and behind the cabinet to facilitate wiring and plumbing and to accommodate irregularities in the wall the cabinet is mounted against.

In addition to providing high strength, this joint is easy to construct and because the panels are joined by screws the cabinet can continue to be constructed after the corners are created without having to wait until the glue has dried. Finally, this joint provides a unique appearance due to the offset exposed edges of the panels and the filled screw holes.

In the embodiment illustrated the inside rear edges of the top and bottom and two sides are notched and a back panel 40 if placed in the notches. This back panel 40 is attached to the back, bottom and sides by common means such as glue, screws or nails.

The terms and expressions which have been employed in the foregoing specification are used therein as terms of description and not of limitation, and there is no intention in the use of such terms and expressions of excluding equivalents of the features shown and described or portions thereof, it being recognized that the scope of the invention is defined and limited only by the claims which follow. 

1. A cabinet comprising: a. At least two panels which are joined to one another along a common corner at a 90° angle with respect to one another, said panels having outwardly facing faces; b. A first panel having a first edge which forms a portion of said common corner, said first edge having a protruding section; c. A second panel having a second edge which forms a portion of said common corner, said second edge having a recessed section; d. Said protruding section of said first edge fits into said recessed section of said second edge such that said common corner is unbroken; wherein e. Said panels are constructed from plywood having a core which in cross section creates an ascetically pleasing appearance, and the protruding section of the first edge is flush with the face of the second panel and the portions of the second edge other than the recessed section are flush with the face of the first panel; and f. First screws which pass through a margin of said first panel adjacent said protruding section of said first edge into said second edge of said second panel, and second screws which pass through a margin of said second panel adjacent the portions of said second edge other than the recessed section into said first edge of said second panel, said first and second screws having heads which are covered by a filler which compliments the appearance of said plywood core.
 2. The cabinet of claim 1 wherein said plywood core is bamboo.
 3. The cabinet of claim 1 wherein said fillers are dowel plugs.
 4. The cabinet of claim 1 wherein said first panel forms a first side of said cabinet and said second panel forms a top of said cabinet.
 5. The cabinet of claim 4 including a third panel which forms a second side of said cabinet opposite of said first side, and said third panel has a top edge which is joined to the edge of the top panel that is opposite the edge joined to the first panel in the same manner the first panel is joined to the top panel.
 6. The cabinet of claim 5 including a bottom panel having opposed edges which are joined to bottom edges of said first and second panels in the same manner that the first panels is joined to the top panel.
 7. The cabinet of claim 6 including a pedestal base which is attached to said bottom panel, said pedestal base having sides which are offset inwardly from each side of said bottom panel. 